The Lord Is My Shepherd

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

By Pr. Shirley Liang

King David wrote, 

King David himself was a shepherd boy who tended to his father’s sheep and he understood what it takes to be a true shepherd. Hired shepherds that did not really own sheep – and therefore they may care less – would flee at the signs of threat. Unlike them, true shepherds who are often subject to grave danger would nevertheless risk their lives to protect their flock. In that same way, God is our Shepherd. God did not use hired hands to take care of us. We have God’s personal attention.

He laid down His life for our sins so that He can take care of all our past. We may have experienced failures and sins, fears and struggles, but we are no longer condemned and entrapped by our past because Jesus the Good Shepherd took care of it. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Our Great Shepherd is a resurrected Lord. He is not a dead God, but alive and with us now in the present. He is the God of TODAY. If you are facing a problem bigger than yourself – be it a health condition, a financial situation, a broken relationship – remember, God is bigger than all our problems combined, and He is more than able to see us through because He has overcome the world. Furthermore, we need His presence daily to be a better person – a better parent, son, daughter, friend, employer or employee… The Great Shepherd takes care of our present.

As children of God, we know that God has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. We become disappointed sometimes when God did not act the way we expected Him to. But we forget that He is sovereign and we are not! God knows the end from the beginning, so take heart. Also, we know that in our resurrected Lord, we have an eternal hope. We know we have a place that God is preparing for us called heaven. Christians face death somewhat differently. Death is but a transition to eternity, it is a change of address from our earthly address to our heavenly home. With faith, we know that death is not the end but the beginning of something beautiful.

My Shepherd has taken care of my PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE. Therefore, really, what more do I want? What more do I need? How about you?